If they look like a club, talk like a club and act like a club… it probably IS a club. Festival programmers from around the world met in the Schlingel Festival as the true ‘Club of Festivals’, and even handed out awards.
“The Club of Festivals was launched in 2020 and consists of various international children & youth film festivals closely associated with the Schlingel Festival,” says Schlingel team member Gerrik Harbauer. “Representatives of those festivals, who were physically present in the pre-pandemic years and could not join us due to travel restrictions in 2020, were thus given the opportunity for active festival participation and exchange. As this idea was very well received, we decided to establish this jury as a permanent part of our festival. In this way, we support the exchange among festival representatives.”
During the recent Schlingel edition, club members presented three awards, following a complex selection procedure. In the run-up to the festival, all members were assigned an age category in which a pre-selection was made. In the next phase, all the selected titles were assessed by the entire ‘club’. At the end of this elimination stage, the winners in the three categories remained, and those were…
Club of Festivals’ Children’s Feature Film Award: COCO FARM (Sébastian Gagné, Canada).
“Congratulations to the film team for making a film with a true heart in its characters and story; and true artistry in its outstanding acting, writing and direction. Most of all, thank you for strengthening our belief in the power of the next generation to create a more sustainable, creative and kind world.”
Club of Festivals’ Junior Feature Film Award: CHICKEN FOR LINDA (Chiara Malta & Sébastien Laudenbach, France/Italy).
“A unique and highly stylised animated film! Simple yet smart and informative, with a strong atmosphere, full of warmth, and blooming with sentimentality, which is both cruel and romantic.”
Club of Festivals’ Youth Feature Film Award: SCRAPPER (Charlotte Regan, UK)
“This well-written story is basically serious, but is told with so much warmth that it made our hearts melt. With its unique tone and humour, the film depicts how life in very unexpected ways can change and never be the same again. In this film about family relationships, we really enjoyed getting to know Georgie and her father.”
This Club or Festivals requires quite a bit of effort from its members, all of whom had to sweat their way through a long list of films, but it brings them in contact with each other, promotes dialogue, and presents a lot of recent titles on the market. Meet all club members here.